The Penn's Grove record., 1887-05-14
GOLD LEAF.
How, Where and by Whom 1t Is
Manufactured.

How, Where and by Whom 1t Is
Manufactured.
Gold leaf is manufactured in about
20 shops in New York city and its sub
urbs. 1t is g ,timated that 2O,S0O ounces
of gold are consumed here annually i'll
making gold leaf. Gold can be beaten
SO thin that it will take l,2O0 leaves to
equal the thickness of the sheet upon
which this paper is printed. An ounce
can be beaten down to $500 leaves, 81
inches square.
A reporter was told that the gold is
bought of brokers in small ingots which,
are melted into bars about a quarter of
an inch thick. These are rolled INTO a
ribbon as thick as note paper. After
passing through the hands of the
beaters it is put in books, interviewed
with MANILA tissue, and 20 books are
put in q package. The ordinary sells
for 81 a package, and the best S7.50 to
$7.75. No dross comes from the gold
as it is beaten, but there are ragged
edges that drop off. The leaf is used by
gilders, bookbinders, dentists and sign
painters.
The wages of gold beaters are S11 a
week. A piece hand gels 50 a beating.
A good one a possibly DO two a week,
and as many as nine in a month have
been done. Extra is paid to a workman
who beats the gold below five grains to
a book. Some can 90 to d! and even
four grains per book.
GLOW thin a you ct it?" a beater
Vas asked.
at is beaten to one three-hundred-
thonsandth of an inch thick at five
grains to the book. If it gets down to
four grains it is only three hundred-and-
sixty-thousandth of an inch. The New
York system employs men only, with
girls to do the cutting. The German
system employs children of 8 or 8,
which system Hastings of Philadelphia
tried to introduce, but his workmen
struck, and lie lost his lead. On that
system men do the beating and girls do
the printing and filling"
CLOVIS the gold beaten?"
''It is beaten IN moulds made in Lon
don from the intestines of COWS cleaned
and vanished with a secret preparation.
The skins are put in packages of 900
skins each, and three of these moulds go
to a beating"
"How much gold is there in a beat
ing?"
'Fifty pennyweight in a beating. The
ribbon of solid gold is divided into 40
or $50 pieces, each about an inch square.
These are put into q clutch made of
French paper four inches square. That
is beaten until we get the gold to the
edges. 1t is handled with pincers at
that time. 1t is beaten half an hour.
The pieces are then piled 20 on top of
each other. They are then cut in four
and doubled over, making 72O. They
are then put in a 'schoder,' or finer
mould cut down. We fill the 'schoder,'
with those leaves in the middle, and
break it out to the edges. We beat it
about two hours, until we draw about
10 pe~nnyweights off the schoder."
'Does it have to be kept dry?"
"We have to keep the windows shut;
but the clutches, schoders, and mould
take up so much moisture that they have
to be put in a hot mould to press the
moisture out"
"Does that finish it?r
"Oh, no. The leaves are cut again
into four with a tool called a wagon,
making 1850, but the moulds hold only
2,700. The moulds are beaten four
hours, at the end of each hour there
being what is called a close, when they
are heated. Then the beater is through
with it and the cutter takes it. This is
the only work done by the girls in New
York. They can cut from 30 to "a
books a day at % cents a book. The
l1ne ,uIn,, ~ nrntg In N 1nAl~ 10 co thin
that it is handled only with the breath"
"IIow is the work tested?"
"Only with the eye. There is no rule
about the business, but it is purely a
matter of skill and judgment. The best
is the kind used on glass, which shows
all imperfections.n
81 notice goldbeaters usually work in
basements2 Why is that?"
"a firmer blow can be given. IL on
the first story, there is a jar, which de-
teriorates the quality"
us there any ad~ulteration in the
businessg"
"The Germans beat what is called a
metal leaf with an alloy. 1t is sold very
cheap. 1t is the olemargarine of gold
leaf, and will tarnish. Much of it is
used by bookbinders."
"When did the trade s,art?"
sit is very ancient. 1t is mentioned
in the Bible. Gold leaf was used on
Solomon's temple. The Chinese beat
gold leaf, but it does not compare in
with American leaf. Some of
the Cinnamon had trouble with their
employers, but theysoon ended it. They
got the employer in o tn il lodge room,
and then one after another took a big
bite out of his flesh"